It has been called a 'wall', a 'security fence' and an 'obstacle' to terrorists. When it is finished it will run 450 miles and will have cost Israel around $4bn.
For some it means security, for others it is a means of undoing their future.
Four years ago this week the international court of justice said Israel's West Bank barrier was illegal where it crossed into Palestinian territory.
We explore the lives of the people on either side of the barrier and examine its implications for a settlement in the Middle East's most intractable conflict
Coexistence projects bring Jews and Arabs together within Israel, but it is much harder to bridge the larger gap between Israel and the Palestinian territories, writes Rory McCarthy
Dirty, dilapidated and desperate, al-Ram is typical of the Palestinian towns cut off by the barrier on Jerusalem's eastern outskirts, reports Toni O'Loughlin.
Guardian Weekly: Special focus on West Bank barrier
With interviews from Palastinian farmers, Israeli settlers, and expert anaylsis from Ian Black.
Ghost town in the West Bank
Once a thriving Palestinian village, Al-Ram is now home to abandoned shops, deserted streets and overgrown gardens. Photographs: Gali Tibbon
